‘How long have you been waiting?’

His hat covered his face. His body covered the bench. His eyes were shut, possibly asleep. She repeated her question. She hoped he would respond this time, but he didn’t.

She drudged on. ‘Ex-excuse me sir, but how long have you been waiting here?’ She was sure he could hear her. He breathed out in exasperation with each question she put to him.

He knew very well what she wanted. But he hadn’t any time for hustlers. He would wait for his train, like he had planned, and he would get on that train, like he had planned. He didn’t need any distractions.

‘I’m awfully sorry to disturb you sir, but I wondered if you could help a girl out.’

She sounded pretty. But they all did. They had pretty voices, almost always supplemented by a pretty face. For a spilt second, he imagined her face, and she saw his split into a smile under his hat. It encouraged her.

‘I live right down the road. The next train isn’t due for another 20 minutes. There is enough time, sir.’

There was something in the water of this city, the man thought, that made these women of the night so very polite. But he wasn’t going to indulge. Not tonight. It wasn’t part of his plan. He wanted her to shove off.

Instead, she pressed on, ‘It could be quick.’

In one quick move, he removed his hat from his face, sat up straight and looked at her, ready to tell her off in his harshest voice, when he saw them - her bright blue eyes.

His wife had bright blue eyes too.

With an alchemy that reached the seat of his pants, he demanded softly, ‘What’s your name?’

She replied with a smile. He looked at his watch. His wife wasn’t here.

But for 20 minutes, he could feel like she was.